Fastening means for attachments to clock housings



Nov. 30, 1965 J, w. MORGAN ETAL 3,220,176

FASTENING MEANS FOR ATTACHMENTS TO CLOCK HOUSING Filed March 50, 1964 li 1 I 1 20 z; I '16 l 1 II lllH z; f 1 Q if v JILL OS \\\\\\\T I 22 2423 59.

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INVENTORS United States Patent 3,220,176 FASTENING MEANS FOR ATTACHMENTSTO CLOCK HOUSINGS John W. Morgan, Elmhurst, and Donald R. Scott,Lomhard, Ill., assignors to Sunbeam Corporation, Chicago,

IlL, a corporation of Illinois Filed Mar. 30, 1964, Ser. No. 355,862 2flaims. (CI. 58-53) This invention relates to an improved fasteningmeans, and more particularly, to an improved fastening means forconnecting elements such as decorative radial spikes to a clock housing.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved fastening means forthe decorative radial spikes of a clock housing which is low cost, has aminimum of loose parts, is easy to assemble, and requires no tools orspecial skill on the part of the purchaser of the clock.

Briefly, in the preferred form of the invention, the only loose partsare the spikes themselves which can be packaged with the clock indisassembled position. The clock housing and the spikes are constructedfrom resilient molded plastic material. The fastening means propercomprises solely cooperative integral formations on the peripheralportion of the housing and the inner ends of the spikes. Assembly of thespikes to the housing comprises solely interengaging the cooperativeintegral formations. This requires no tools or special skills, and thespikes can just as readily be removed or turned over to obtain differentvisual effects.

The invention will be better understood by considering the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and itsscope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a decoratorwall-type clock utilizing the invention;

FIG. 2 is a broken away enlarged rear view of the clock;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the section line 33 ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the section line 4-4 of FIG. 3;and

FIG. 5 is a broken away and exploded perspective view of the invention.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a decorator wall-type clock is illustratedcomprising a housing having a dial face 11. The dial face has hour andminute hands 12 and 13 and radiating hour marks 14. Decorative spikes 15are connected to housing 10 so as to be aligned with the hour marks 14.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5, the fastening means for spikes 15 will now bedescribed. The clock housing is provided with a circumferential plate orsupport 16 having an integral peripheral flange 17. The fastening meansis located at the back of plate 16 inside flange 17. At their inner endsthe spikes 15 are provided with a groove or opening 18 which extendslengthwise of the spikes. This groove is adapted to receive a tongue orprojection 19 integral with the back of plate 16. At its inner end thetongue is provided with a shoulder 20 which seats the innermost end ofthe spikes. Outboard of the tongues 19 the spikes are seated on theflange 17. Between the tongues 19 and flange 17 are gripping forks 21which are integral with the back of plate 16 and the tongue 19. Theseforks are provided with enlargements 22 which overhang the spikes andlock them in position.

3,226,176 Patented Nov. 30, 1965 The spikes 15 and the plate 16 and itsintegral parts 19 and 21 are constructed from a resilient molded plasticsuch as high impact polystyrene. The tongue 19 is tapered so as todecrease its width slightly from its central part towards its oppositeends. Also, the maximum spacing of sides 23 of opening 18 is slightlyless than maximum width of tongue 19. Therefore, and due to theresiliency of the plastic material employed, the sides 23 are expandedslightly when the tongues 19 are forced into openings 18. Only amoderate amount of thumb pressure is required to force the tongues intheir openings 18.

The maximum spacing of the enlargements 22 is also slightly less thanthe width of spikes 15. Therefore, the fork 21 will first spreadslightly to pass the spike and then its enlargements 22 will movetowards each other to lock the spikes in place. The enlargements 22retain the spikes seated on shoulders 20 and flange 17 so they cannotmove in a direction perpendicular to the dial face 11. The tongues 19 ingrooves 18 and the forks seat the spikes against moving laterally of thedial face.

The inner bottom edge 24 of forks 21 are relieved or cut away so as tobe spaced from the bottom of the spikes 15. That is, edges 24 are not ashigh as shoulders 20. Therefore, when enlargements 22 grip the spikes 15they are free to bow slightly towards edges 24 in being seated on theshoulders 20 and flange 17.

The forks 21 and tongues 19 are perpendicular to each other so as tosupport each other, and at the inner ends of tongues 19 integralperpendicular support means 25 is also provided. In order to remove thespikes it is only necessary to pull them off their seats 20, 17 againstthe yieldable gripping action of resilient portions 21, 23 and to obtaindifferent visual effects the spikes can be assembled in turned overposition and for this purpose they are given a channel or V-shaped crosssection and different colors can be applied to their opposite sides.

While there has been illustrated and described an embodiment of thepresent invention, it will be appreciated that numerous changes andmodifications will occur to those skilled in the art, and it is intendedin the appended claims to cover all those changes and modifications asfall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

1. Means for fastening radially extending spikes to the circumferentialplate of a clock housing, said means comprising an integral rearwardlyprojecting peripheral flange on said plate, a rearwardly projectingintegral tongue on said plate, said tongue extending in a radialdirection and being spaced radially inward of said flange, an integralshoulder on said plate radially inward of said tongue, said flange andshoulder being adjacent opposite ends of said tongue, a groove in theinner end of said spike, said spike being seated on said flange andshoulder and said tongue being snugly received in said groove, anintegral rearwardly projecting fork member on said plate between saidtongue and flange, said fork member snugly straddling said spike, andall the mentioned parts being constructed from resilient molded plasticmaterial.

2. Fastening means as in claim 1, comprising said tongue and groovebeing elongated and extending lengthwise of said spike, said fork memberbeing disposed perpendicular to said tongue, said tongue, shoulder andfork member being formed integral with each other, and the 4 openopposite ends of said fork member having enlarge- 2,706,542 4/1955Schaeffer 189-36 mcnts integrally formed thereon overhanging said spike.2,847,780 8/1958 Ellerman 40125 FOREIGN PATENTS e (:1 ed by we Exam955,559 4/1964 Great Britain.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 1,662,729 3/1928 Wait 189-36 LEO SMILOW, PrimaryExaminer-

1. MEANS FOR FASTENING RADIALLY EXTENDING SPIKES TO THE CIRCUMFERENTIALPLATE OF A CLOCK HOUSING, SAID MEANS COMPRISING AN INTEGRAL REARWARDLYPROJECTING PERIPHERAL FLANGE ON SAID PLATE, A REARWARDLY PROJECTINGINTEGRAL TONGUE ON SAID PLATE, SAID TONGUE EXTENDING ION A RADIALDIRECTION AND BEING SPACED RADIALLY INWARD OF SAID FLANGE, AN INTEGRALSHOULDER ON SAID PLATE RADIALLY INWARD OF SAID TONGUE, SAID FLANGE ANDSHOULDER BEING ADJACENT OPOSITE ENDS OF SAID TONGUE, A GROOVE IN THEINNER END OF SAID SPIKE, SAID SPIKE BEING SEATED ON SAID FLANGE ANDSHOULDER AND SAID TONGUE BEING SNUGLY RECEIVED IN SAID GROOVE, ANINTEGRAL REARWARDLY PROJECTING FORK MEMBER ON SAID PLAT BETWEEN SAIDTONGUE AND FLANGE, SAID FORK MEMBER SNUGLY STRADDLING SAID SPIKE, ANDALL THE MENTIONED PARTS BEING CONSTRUCTED FROM RESILIENT MOLDED PLASTICMATERIAL.